1. Technical Field
This invention relates to eyewear and, more particularly, to a modular eyeglass frame for allowing a user to selectively alter an appearance thereof.
2. Prior Art
As we grow older it is not uncommon for our eyesight to deteriorate, thus resulting in a lot of people needing to get glasses as they grow older. This occurrence is not just limited to the older generation; many younger persons also require assistance from glasses to improve their eyesight. Thus there is a rather large portion of the population that requires corrective lenses to assist and improve their vision. Typical glasses consist of a pair of lenses that are mounted in a frame that rests on a person's nose and their ears, thus conveniently allowing a person to use their hands for other tasks. The frame that the lenses are mounted in is typically one specific color, like black, or has a design, like tortoise shell. The disadvantage is that a person may become tired of their lens frame, and the only way to get a new frame is to get a new pair of glasses, which can become rather expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,660 to Chao discloses eyeglasses provided with at least one reversible arm that can be manipulated to fold in towards the outer (front) face of the lens retaining portion of the frame, thereby covering it. The arm can be attached to the frames in a variety of ways. For instance, the attachment can be mechanical, or magnetism may be employed in fixing the arm to the frame. Several structural arrangements are described that permit reversal of the arm from a position behind the lens retaining portion of the frame to a position in front thereof. The arm can then be folded to cover the front and back sides of the lenses. Unfortunately, this prior art example fails to provide a fully reversible frame featuring different colors or designs on opposite sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,731 to Rogers discloses a reversible eyeglass structure having an ear piece support assembly pivotally connected through a hinge connector assembly to an eyeglass frame assembly. The eyeglass frame assembly resembles a normal eyeglass assembly except that the glass sections and the main frame assembly are extended in parallel planes so that the eyeglass lens can be view through reversed directions and a nose bridge member can be used on a person's nose portion in opposite directions. The ear piece support assembly includes a pair of ear piece support members which are constructed in half sections with exterior surfaces of different colors and/or designs. The ear piece support members are pivoted 180 degrees to effectively present two sets of different appearing eyeglass wear in the one reversible eyeglass structure. The hinge connector assembly provides for ear piece and frame connector assemblies interconnected by a pin connector assembly and including biasing means to hold the ear piece support members in both usage conditions. Unfortunately, this prior art example includes extra detachable elements that may be easily lost by the user, rendering the invention function less.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,217 to Hautcoeur discloses an eyeglass frame wherein one of the components such as the temples, the bridge and/or the connection bar between the eye wires is made of a shaped memory alloy which is able to regain its initial shape by simple heating after having undergone a permanent deformation and a lower temperature. Unfortunately, this prior art example does allow the user to changer the color of the eyeglass frames by reversing the legs of the frames.
Accordingly, a need remains for a modular eyeglass frame in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a device that is convenient and easy to use, is durable yet lightweight in design, is versatile in its applications, and provides users with a simple means of extending their eyewear versatility.